Pagina's

26 sep. 2016

And now for something completely different. (Longwinded rambling incoming)

Hi folks!

This is a complete, random blogpost that I didn't even plan to write. It just bubbled up inside me 1 minute ago, but it's about a topic that I've been thinking about for weeks now. It's something that directly effects my blog so it would be better to discuss it here and maybe spread the word.

No no, don't worry, I'm not quitting blogging, far from it. Blogging is one of the only places I can be endlessly creative and I wouldn't want to miss it. However, the topics I write about might change a bit in the near future. Let's just say, Kylie was right when she said 2016 is the year of realising things. I did some realising of my own.
One of the things I enjoy writing the most are reviews, as you might have noticed. I love to try new things, put them to the test - bathe in the illusion that I'm an expert in this field - and share my thoughts with you. I also like to review indie products because, well, not all that much has been written about it yet. By writing about relatively unknown brands that I love I get the chance to introduce them to new people and maybe give them a bit more business. I can support them this way, which I find important. Or let complete strangers know how I like the products so they will have a second opinion before purchasing.

But that's also the thing that bothers me. Not only the indie community but pretty much every makeup related community has such an emphasis on buying. You can't follow beauty Youtubers without feeling the occasional tingle of greed. Everyday on every social network you'll hear what the new releases are and how much you will literally need them in your life. (And with all the sponsoring going on you might just end up with crappy products which makes it even worse, but that's beside the point).

All of this is so extremely tiring. I'm not one that falls easily for the "you need this in your life" slogan and I'm not extra intrigued when a product is limited edition, but it still bothers me. I feel like we completely lost track of the purpose of makeup. It seems like the "buying process" is almost half the fun of the product itself. You might get the impression that the makeup is just an excuse to buy, instead of being a product that you will enjoy and can get good use out of. It's a shopping addiction, really, and it's pushed onto us so much that it's quite hard to escape.

The majority of all of my makeup. Yeps.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'm a saint. I love to buy new makeup. Especially with indie products that get delivered to your house and fall on the doormat like a present. This way, it can be Christmas year round. You get a package of which you have a good suspicion of what the content might be, and while being all excited you rip it open - and look! All the pretties! All this stuff you now get to play with!
But then slowly the novelty wears off and you feel like getting a new present because, well, you've earned it or whatever excuse you come up with (and darn the phrase "treat yo' self" that eliminates the need for an excuse!). It's a vicious cycle - vicious also in the other way.

And what happens to the collection you've been building up? It just sits there, collecting dust, with an occasional use every now and again. I used to drool over the huge collections on Youtube - Shaaanxo cough - but now I realise that there is no such thing as a "well loved huge collection". It is mutually exclusive. If you only get to use a product a couple of times a year due to your large collection, that's not well loved. That's a waste. I intent no shade here by the way; I don't really care how much other people have, I just realised that it's not for me anymore. My collection is my own baby like other people have theirs, and I'm only focusing on how I'm nurturing my own.

So I want to change the focus on my blog. This means less reviews of new things I've bought, and more attention to the things I already own and being creative with that. So more Face of the Days, more destash post, more keeping track of products I'm using up (can't wait for that part) and overall shopping my stash.

Does this mean I'll never post reviews again? Hell naw! I'm still a reviewer at heart. First of all, I still have a ton of reviews to share of stuff I've collected over the year. And second, I'm on a low-buy, not a no-buy, so I allow myself to buy something every now and then, but I have to make sure to think it through and think long and hard if I need it/if it fills a gap in my collection/and if I will actually get use out of it. So no more buying any more brown shades when I already got 20 kinds "just to test out the brand" is what I'm saying. I'm just very excited to make a dent in what I have, I think it will be so much more rewarding in the long run than the endless hoarding that will lead nowhere.

Rant over! If you've managed it this far, I'm hereby giving you a golden sticker as a token of my appreciation.

PS: If you are interested in the concept of consuming less and using what you own, I highly recommend checking out the subreddit Makeup Rehab (on Reddit, d'oh) or watch this anti-haul playlist to get in the mood (heads up: it's hilarious and she makes very valid points).

Well hello there!

My name is Floortje and I'm a 20-year old art history student from Amsterdam. On this little piece of interwebz I write mostly about makeup, with flashes of my other interests in between.

When it comes to makeup, I focus on cruelty free cosmetics and love to try out small indie brands. I also pay rather close attention to the ingredients to make sure that no harmful stuff finds their way to my face.